About this episode

John and Craig discuss the issue of free work in the writing industry and provide strategies to navigate it.

John and Craig tackle the scourge of free work and offer strategies to avoid it. They look at established norms, potential remedies, the things that should work but often don't, and how writers should think about the time and effort they're putting in before getting paid. We also follow up on useful comps, AI coverage, what to do with our DVDs, and answer listener questions on pitching at an internship and a sensitive situation when naming an award. In our bonus segment for premium members, how do we write American law enforcement officers now that their jobs don't function the way they used to? Links: Birdigo is now on iOS! Weekend Read 2 Zathura Scarecrow Video donations H.R. Pufnstuf Disney Axed 'Star Wars' Sequel 'The Hunt for Ben Solo' Without Ever Asking About the Budget or Other Details by Zack Sharf for Variety FlipBelt Classic Running Belt The Wedding Party by Secret City Vancouver Get your copy of the Scriptnotes book! Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Become a Scriptnotes Premium member , or gift a subscription Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube Scriptnotes on Instagram and TikTok John August on Bluesky and Instagram Outro by Eric Pearson…

More episodes of Scriptnotes Podcast

• 733 - Learning Comedy · April 28, 2026 · 1h 1m
• 732 - Something Very Bad is Going to Happen · April 21, 2026 · 45 min
• 731 - Avoidance and Other Anti-Quests · April 14, 2026 · 52 min
• SC39 - Sidecast: The 2026 MBA · April 10, 2026 · 18 min
• 89 - Writing effective transitions (Encore) · April 7, 2026 · 59 min
• 730 - A Frank Conversation About Screenwriting · March 31, 2026 · 49 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Scriptnotes Podcast podcast page.